Three Ways Accountants Can Achieve a Healthier Work Life Balance

The accounting industry’s long work hours often lead to increased stress and can therefore contribute to lower work quality. But in today’s tech era, accountants can actually work smarter, faster and better than ever, offering more opportunities to enjoy a healthier work life balance.

Here are three ways accountants can accomplish more work while also enjoying more of ‘life.’

1. Re-Evaluate Your Workflow Processes
When you actually sit down to evaluate your daily workflow, you’ll notice there’s an abundance of ‘filler’ tasks, like data entry and redundant paperwork. Make time to re-evaluate these processes and prioritize what must be accomplished today and what can wait until tomorrow. Ask yourself if any of these tasks be completed in a more effective manner.

For example, with the help of modern technology solutions, you can actually automate data entry tasks while also spending less time on redundant tasks like checking and re-checking for data accuracy. Data capture software like ScanWriter welcomes the shoebox clients, capturing data from scanned paper documents and automatically enters the data into accounting software. Certain apps even accelerate the scanning process for irregularly sized documents like receipts and checks, omitting the need to scan hundreds of small receipts one by one.

Re-evaluating your workflow process and automating ‘filler’ tasks have proven to save accountants up to 90% more time every day.

2. Set Expectations
Juggling a hundred tasks while also meeting tight deadlines can be one of the most common pressure points for accountants. Most of this stress is caused by the procrastination of the client or a lack of clear communication between both parties. It’s important to set expectations with your clients, stating clear deadlines and the repercussions of not meeting those deadlines.

Tell your client that you need their documents by a specific date in order to complete their request and if you do not receive the documents by that date that there will be a late charge or a ramification of your choice. Setting expectations helps improve structure in the workplace and therefore contributes to a more effective operation. Planning and executing deadlines (on time) means more time to plan and execute outside work activities as well.

3. Look After Yourself
A lot of hardworking accountants don’t want to hear it, but setting aside ‘me-time’ is a huge factor when it comes to staying motivated. You need to take time to rest and rejuvenate, no matter how heavy your workload. It’s as simple as blocking out just one hour in your day, maybe to attend an exercise class or to cook a delicious meal for yourself, or even just to close your eyes and enjoy some peaceful solitude. How you feel and how much energy you possess is directly connected to how motivated you feel. And staying motivated in the workplace is the key to career and business growth.

We hope that you start evaluating your work life balance today. Based on Personable Inc.’s past surveys, we know that, on average, most accountants spend half their time on data entry and wish they had more time to accomplish other work related tasks. If you want to minimize the time you spend on entering data, consider looking into ScanWriter to automate your data entry process. Request a demo to see if it’s right for you.